Clip of Biden Saying People Won't Be Lifted Off Embassy Roof in Afghanistan Resurfaces as Just That Happens

BY JASON LEMON 

PHOTO 1: US diplomat evacuate US from embassy via helicopter as the #Taliban enter #Kabul from all sides. #Afghanistan (2021)

PHOTO 2: US diplomat evacuate US from embassy via helicopter as the PAVN & Viet Cong capture of Saigon, Vietnam (1975) pic.twitter.com/YamWmzjOay

— Stefan Simanowitz (@StefSimanowitz) August 15, 2021
 

But on Sunday, images of helicopters evacuating diplomats from the roof of the U.S. embassy in Kabul began circulating online and in the media. Reuters, The Washington Post and other media outlets reported that the U.S. was using the aircraft to swiftly evacuate diplomats as Taliban insurgents converged on Afghanistan's capital.

Some on Twitter shared the video clip of Biden asserting that these images would not be seen by Americans. Others shared his quote and included side-by-side images of a helicopter evacuating the Kabul embassy on Sunday and one doing the same in Saigon in 1975.

Perfectly Aged

Biden in July: “The Taliban is not the North Vietnamese army. They’re not remotely comparable in terms of capability. “There's going to be no circumstances where you’re going to see people being lifted off the roof of a US Embassy in Afghanistan.” pic.twitter.com/Dw7ghFs8Vz

— IndSamachar News (@Indsamachar) August 15, 2021

House Republicans—who have largely slammed Biden over the withdrawal of U.S. forces despite the peace deal with the Taliban being signed under former President Donald Trump—shared a video on Twitter of the president's July 8 remarks on Afghanistan.

 

"This was just 38 days ago," the GOP lawmakers captioned the clip.

 

During that press conference, Biden also insisted that a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was not "inevitable." He pushed back against journalists questions that noted intelligence indicated that the U.S.-backed Afghan government would fall within a relatively short period of time.

"I trust the capacity of the Afghan military, who is better trained, better equipped, and more—more competent in terms of conducting war," Biden said at the time.

Afghanistan has become the longest U.S. war. The U.S. invaded the country in 2001 after the terrorist attacks of September 11 of that year.

Trump's administration signed the peace deal with the Taliban in February 2020. The former president had long argued that remaining in the country was "ridiculous," and did not benefit the U.S. or its interests. Under Trump's deal, which was spearheaded by then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the U.S. agreed to withdraw all its forces from Afghanistan by May 1 of this year.

Although Biden chose to move forward with that agreement after he took office, he pushed back the withdrawal deadline to September 11. The president then moved it forward to August 31—but the Afghan government has already collapsed as of Sunday.

Last week, Biden continued to defend the withdrawal, asserting that the U.S. had achieved its objective of subduing the extremist militant group Al Qaeda in Afghanistan years ago. Al Qaeda was allegedly responsible for planning and executing the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

"I do not regret my decision," Biden said. "Afghan leaders have to come together. We lost thousands—lost to death and injury—thousands of American personnel. They've got to fight for themselves, fight for their nation."